The present invention relates to adhesive transfer devices for making adherable substrates. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adhesive transfer sheet for making adherable substrates and a tablet or package including a plurality of such sheets.
It is oftentimes desirable to turn an existing, non-adherable substrate into an adherable substrate (i.e., a sticker or label) for adherence to a contact surface. For example, in arts and crafts fields and school projects, one may desire to take a substrate, such as a photograph, and adhere it to a posterboard or other such surface for creating a visual aid for presentations or a decorative collage.
Conventionally, to create an adherable substrate from an existing substrate, one has to apply liquid adhesive to the back of the substrate using spray bottles or brushes. These are somewhat undesirable because spots on the substrate can be easily missed during application. Also, spillage of the liquid adhesive can be problematic because the inherently tacky nature of most adhesives makes them difficult to remove without using a solvent. As an alternative, solid glue sticks have been provided. These glue sticks obviate the spillage potential associated with liquid adhesives, but require careful attention during application to ensure that no spots on the substrate are missed.
To overcome the shortcomings of these conventional adhesive transfer methods, Xyron, Inc., the assignee of the present application, has developed apparatuses capable of performing both laminating and adhesive transfer operations. Early examples of Xyron""s apparatuses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,580,417 and 5,584,962. These apparatuses have proven to be quite effective at performing adhesive transfer operations without the spillage and other problems associated with the above-described conventional methods.
Purchasing an entire Xyron apparatus, however, is not a cost-effective option for the consumer who only wants to perform a limited number of adhesive transfer operations. Accordingly, there exists a need for an adhesive transfer device that obviates the problems described above with respect to manual methods, yet has a significantly lower cost than the apparatuses mentioned above.
To meet this need, the present invention provides an adhesive transfer device for performing an adhesive transfer operation. The device comprises one or more adhesive transfer sheets. Each of the adhesive transfer sheets comprises a generally flat base substrate providing an adhesive carrying surface, a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive adhered to the adhesive carrying surface of the base substrate, and a generally flat release liner substrate providing a release surface, the release liner substrate being disposed in covering relation over the adhesive layer with the release surface adhering to the adhesive layer opposite the base substrate. The relative strengths of the adhesive bonding between the adhesive carrying surface and the adhesive layer and the release surface and the adhesive layer are such that the adhesive transfer operation can be initiated by moving the release liner substrate and the base substrate relatively away from one another with the adhesive layer remaining adhered to the adhesive carrying surface of the base substrate and then engaging the selected substrate with a portion of the adhesive layer so as to adhere the selected substrate to the adhesive layer portion. The strength of the adhesive bonding between the adhesive layer and the adhesive carrying surface is such that, after the selected substrate has been engaged with and adhered to the portion of the adhesive layer, the adhesive transfer operation can be completed by moving the selected substrate and the base substrate relatively away from one another with the aforesaid portion of the adhesive layer remaining adhered to the selected substrate, thereby allowing the selected substrate to be adhered to a desired surface by engaging the portion of the adhesive layer thereon with the desired surface.
Preferably, the individual sheets can be sold packaged together or bound in tablet form in units of 10, 25, 50, or any other suitable amount.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, each sheet includes the base substrate, the layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the base substrate, and a dual-function substrate that performs the role of both the adhesive mask surface and the release liner surface. Specifically, one side (the release surface) of the dual-function substrate is coated with a release material, such as silicone, and the other side (the mask surface) is left uncoated. Before use, the dual-function substrate covers the adhesive layer with the release surface engaging the adhesive layer. To perform the adhesive operation, the dual-function substrate is peeled back and the selected substrate is pressed against the adhesive layer. Then, the dualfunction substrate is flipped and placed over the selected substrate and any portions of the adhesive layer exposed around the periphery of the selected substrate. As a result, any adhesive exposed around the periphery of the selected substrate bonds to the mask surface and then the dual-function substrate can be pulled back and discarded.
The device constructed in accordance with this further aspect of the invention is easier and less expensive to make because two functions are combined into a single substrate. Preferably, the dual-function substrate is a 1 mm thick PET film. This film thickness has been found to have the combination of the appropriate stiffness for manual handling and the appropriate flexibility for conforming to the edges of most thin substrates to ensure that the adhesive directly adjacent the substrates peripheral edge bonds to the mask surface.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.